A Melancholic Memory

Nils Frahm is a German musician based in Berlin recognized for his combination of classical instruments with electronic elements. Grand pianos jumbled with Moogs and drum machines are only part of his impressive vocabulary in musical talent. Encores 2 is Frahm’s new experimental EP consisting of four instrumental tracks. He organically blends musical themes from ambient and classical genres to capture a truly ethereal and melancholic soundscape.

The EP opens up beautifully with “Sweet Little Lie,” a track that relies on the pairing of muffled grand pianos and ambient grainy noises to deliver its sultry, steady melodic progressions. Capturing the emotions felt on a rainy day or moody afternoon, Frahm immediately establishes a dreamlike state of mind with his slow-paced and gentle production. However, as much as the soft introduction of “Sweet Little Lie” is hauntingly inviting, this invitation can be missed if unable to find the delicate mood it demands.

“A Walking Embrace” justifies the EP’s uniformity in sonic tonality. Frahm’s production is thought-provoking and impressive as he switches to a higher octave in the soft pianos, initiating a very slow beginning of a potential buildup in the EP. Gently moving forward, the thematic grainy ambiance remains intact on “Talisman.” This track changes direction as it strips all pianos and focuses on a prolonged, muted static resonance. Frahm does an exceptional job with structuring on this EP as the song serves more as a needed ‘breather’ track with its short-lived silences and subtle fade-ins. Similar to William Basinski’s The Disintegration Loops, “Talisman” uses a repeating tone adding to itself until it slowly changes its own dynamics–a truly interesting and emotional listen.

The 12-minute long finale “Spells” sounds different from the rest of the project. At first, the song is gracious with its gradual build up in synthetic motion and rhythm. Then, the project’s climactic point absorbs too much energy too quickly. Though tasteful in the different hyper-arpeggiated synths and sound qualities used, the track may stray away too far from the origin of the EP’s initial direction. “Spells” seems to disrupt the flow and cohesive build up that Frahm established with his first three songs.

Overall, Nils Frahm’s Encores 2 delivers a consistent mystical soundscape full of analog elements well-suited for an introspective and nostalgic listen. The four songs play with and into each other quite well even though the finale may fall a bit too far from the tree.